Backyard Bush Blitz - Exploring the Ethics of Entomology

Australian Curriculum content descriptions: 

Year 5 English:

• Use appropriate interaction skills including paraphrasing and questioning to clarify meaning, make connections to own experience, and present and justify an opinion or idea (AC9E5LY02)
• Plan, create, rehearse and deliver spoken and multimodal presentations that include relevant, elaborated ideas, sequencing ideas and using complex sentences, specialist and technical vocabulary, pitch, tone, pace, volume, and visual and digital features (AC9E5LY07)

Year 5 Science:

• Examine how particular structural features and behaviours of living things enable their survival in specific habitats (AC9S5U01)
• Plan and conduct repeatable investigations to answer questions, including, as appropriate, deciding the variables to be changed,  measured and controlled in fair tests; describing potential risks; planning  for the safe use of equipment and materials; and identifying required  permissions to conduct investigations on Country/Place (AC9S5I02)
• Write and create texts to communicate ideas and findings for specific purposes and audiences, including selection of language features, using digital tools as appropriate (ACSIS093)

Year 5 HASS:

• Locate, collect and organise information and data from primary and secondary sources in a range of formats (AC9HS5S02)
• Evaluate information and data in a range of formats to identify and describe patterns and trends, or to infer relationships (AC9HS5S03)

Year 6 English:

• Use interaction skills and awareness of formality when  paraphrasing, questioning, clarifying and interrogating ideas, developing and supporting arguments, and sharing and evaluating information, experiences and opinions (AC9E6LY02)
• Plan, create, rehearse and deliver spoken and  multimodal presentations that include information, arguments and details that develop a theme or idea, organising ideas using precise topic-specific and technical vocabulary, pitch, tone, pace, volume, and visual and digital features (AC9E6LY07)

Year 6 Science:

• Investigate the physical conditions of a habitat and analyse how the growth and survival of living things is affected by changing physical conditions (AC9S6U01)
• Plan and conduct repeatable investigations to answer questions, including, as appropriate, deciding the variables to be changed, measured and controlled in fair tests; describing potential risks; planning for the safe use of equipment and materials; and identifying required  permissions to conduct investigations on Country/Place (AC9S6I02)
• Write and create texts to communicate ideas and findings for specific  purposes and audiences, including selection of language features, using digital tools as appropriate (AC9S6I06)

Year 6 HASS:

• Locate, collect and organise information and data from primary and secondary sources in a range of formats (AC9HS6S02)
• Evaluate information and data in a range of formats to identify and describe patterns and trends, or to infer relationships (AC9HS6S03)

Syllabus outcomes: EN3-4A, EN3-8D, EN3-1A, EN3-2A, ST3-10LW, ST3-4WS, ST3-11LW, GE3-4

General capabilities: Literacy, Ethical Understanding, Critical and Creative Thinking, Personal and Social Capability

Cross-curriculum priority: Sustainability

Relevant parts of Year 5 English achievement standards: Students explain how language features including literary devices, and visual features contribute to the effect and meaning of a text.

Relevant parts of Year 5 Science achievement standards: Students explain how the form and behaviour of living  things enables survival. Students identify variables to be changed and measured.

Relevant parts of Year 6 Science achievement standards: Students explain how changes in physical conditions affect living things. Students plan safe, repeatable investigations to identify patterns and test  relationships and make reasoned predictions.

Relevant parts of Year 5 HASS achievement standards: Students develop questions and locate, collect and organise information and data from primary and secondary sources.

Relevant parts of Year 6 HASS achievement standards: Students develop questions, and locate, collect and organise information and data from a range of primary and secondary sources.

This lesson is part of the wider unit of work Backyard Bush Blitz – Years 5 & 6

• Agree/Disagree Signs (or create your own)
• Device capable of presenting a website to the class
• Role-play Group Descriptions
• Student Worksheet – one copy per student
• Workbooks

This lesson is designed to build students’ competencies in the following skills:

• Communication
• Creativity
• Critical thinking
• Cultural understanding
• Empathy

Time required: 60 mins

Level of teacher scaffolding: Medium – facilitate class discussion

This is an original Cool+ lesson.